Go to your room!

The master bedroom is the most important room of a house and often the most neglected. By the end of this column, I hope you will be inspired to make your bedroom your sanctuary.

Your bedroom should be a relaxing comfortable space. It should not be cluttered or filled with things that cause stress. You may not see the pile of paperwork or laundry but your body picks up on that energy.

After fifteen years of staging consultations, I have walked through many bedrooms and even joke about it in my classes. What amazes me is just how sad some bedrooms are. A comment I hear repeatedly is, “I’m the only one who sees this room so who cares what is looks like?” That is exactly why it is important because you spend a huge chunk of your life in your bedroom and you deserve to love it.

At a recent staging consultation, I commented on the paper shredder and gun cases in the bedroom. That room will be forever remembered as ‘guns and shredder’. Both items are far from peaceful. Talk about your bad Feng Shui!

 

King sized bed in master bedroom.

Master Bedroom Refresh Plan:

Remove all items that do not belong in the bedroom.

Move the bed out of the corner. A bed should be flushed against a wall and accessible from both sides whether you are a couple or not. Side note: if you have any desire to be in a relationship or improve your current relationship, this is important. If not, you are sending the message “I want to be alone”.

Place a nightstand and lamp on each side of the bed for balance and function. It doesn’t have to match. Otherwise the bed feels like a floating island by itself. Whatever you may need bedside won’t have a place to land so it is either in the bed with you or on the floor, which is not very relaxing.

Invest in a firm mattress that supports your body for 8 hours.

Buy new bedding. A bed in a bag will instantly transform your room and includes everything from shams to the accent pillows. It’s time for new bed pillows too.

Buy new sheets. I’ve been on a mission for new sheets. Textures are important to me and I like cool and crisp sheets, not warm and fuzzy. My existing set is bamboo, which is very soft but not crisp. I tried 1000 thread count cotton pillowcases from a local store before investing in the sheets. They did not pass the cool and crisp test. My mission continues. Find the best sheets for your comfort level that regulate your body temperature throughout the night.

Go through your closet and drawers. Hide personal care items that are dotted throughout the space. Check expiration dates.

The bedroom should be free of technology but I’m guilty of this myself between the television and cell phone. Add a laptop, a Kindle and other electronics and it is amazing any of us get any sleep at all. Try downsizing the amount of technology in your room.

Flameless battery operated candles are great for ambient lighting without fear of falling asleep to a flame.

By editing, rearranging and refreshing your bedding, you will enjoy the most important room in the house. You may sleep and feel better which has a ripple effect on other areas of your home and life.